Afghanistan unblocks YouTube

KABUL (PAN): Afghanistan on Saturday lifted block on YouTube after it was put in place in reaction to a film insulting the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)) three months ago, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced in Kabul.

The anti-Islam movie, produced by American-Israeli real estate investor Sam Basil, was released in the US last year by the same Christian pastor who burnt copies of the holy Quran in September, 2012.

The film sparked violent protests by Muslims in Libya, Egypt and other Islamic countries. One protest in the Benghazi city of Libya led to the death of four Americans, including the US ambassador.

The ministry said the Google-owned video site was unblocked on Saturday. Access to the site were shut down in September after the blasphemous movie made its way to the site.

Afghanistan's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA) deputy head Khair Mohammad Faizi confirmed the ban had been lifted in response to a request from the Ministry of Information and Culture.

He explained the site had been blocked in compliance with directives from the National Security Council (NSC) and the Information and Culture Ministry.

Information and Culture Minister Syed Makhdoom Rahin said he had recommended the site should be made available the day it was blocked.

"I did not know as of yesterday that the site is still banned. I guessed it works. I contacted the ministry and asked it to reopen the site," he added.